


Always

by batfamshinobi



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Fluff, SasuSaku - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-08-05 00:44:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16357352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/batfamshinobi/pseuds/batfamshinobi
Summary: Four years after Sasuke left on his journey, he finds himself drawn back to the Hidden Leaf weighed down by a desperate need to speak with Sakura.





	Always

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is super fluffy and nice and yes maybe I threw in a Harry Potter reference because I'm that bitch  
> Also it's through both Sasuke and Sakura's point of views so sorry if that's confusing.

My life had finally found a sense of normalcy. After years of confusion, conflict, and war, there was finally peace in the Hidden Leaf. I was only twenty-one and already the best medical ninja around (after Tsunade of course) and I was happy. At least as happy as I could be.

I spent the majority of my time at the hospital and I didn’t mind. It was therapeutic to take my mind of things and just help people, plus it kept me away from my empty apartment. Tonight was one of the nights that I gladly would have stayed at the hospital all night to avoid going home, but Tsunade insisted that I get some rest and if you’ve ever met Tsunade Senju, you know that saying “no” to her demands is not an option.

It was only 8 pm when I donned my jacket and scarf preparing myself for the chill of the night air. I loosed my thick pink locks from the bun I had piled on top of my head and the loosed tension eased the headache I’d been putting up with for the last three hours. I grabbed my purse and decided to take it slow on my trek home. Walking felt less lonely than sitting alone at home with a cup of instant ramen and a glass of wine.

A frigid gust of wind hit me in the face as soon as I walked out the hospital doors and a shiver went down my spine. I pulled my scarf up a bit to shield my face from the icy wind. Snow floated down magically and pulled me out of the black hole of my mind. At least for a moment. Then all I could think about was how I desperately I wanted to share this night with him.

It had been four years since the war. Two years since Naruto and Hinata were married and now it seemed like everyone I knew was pairing off with another person I knew. Shikamaru and Temari were together, Ino and Sai were practically inseparable, and dammit, even Choji had somehow managed to get with some girl from the Cloud village.

Then there was me. Sakura Haruno. One of the heroes of the Great Ninja War. Student of Lady Tsunade. And the girl still hopelessly in love with Sasuke Uchiha, the boy who left.

My thoughts flashed back to the first night he left. When I begged him to let me come with him and my heart ached at the memory of him walking away. Next his descent into madness then how he showed up in the middle of the war and the reunion of our team. He and Naruto’s battle was terrifying. My two closest friends and comrades in a death match. Then his redemption. My heart warmed at the memory of it. I remember seeing him smile for the first time in years and my heart soared.

Then his promise. The promise he made me when he left a second time. The promise of “next time” that still followed me daily. How I wished that “next time” was today.

“Snap out of it, Sakura!” I said to myself. Moping around was not going to help anything. As much as I missed Sasuke, I knew he’d come back. He had to come back. He promised.

My determination to cheer up spiked and I refused to wander aimlessly around the village like a pathetic lovesick fool. I was Sakura fucking Haruno. I could be and WAS happy. I put on my game face and stomped all the way home.

The cold had made my hands go numb so I fumbled with my keys for a minute or two before I got the door unlocked. The lights were out and my home was silent. Not that I expected anything different. I dropped my outer garments and purse right by the door and flipped on the lights. I lazily dropped my shoes right out of the way of the walkway and slowly made my way to my kitchen.

I didn’t know what to cook. I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I had gotten into the bad habit of ignoring my body’s needs and barely eating one meal a day and it was taking its toll on me. I skimmed the items on the shelves in my pantry and nothing seemed appetizing. I settled on instant ramen, cursing Naruto for rubbing off on me, and grabbed a bottle of red wine because to hell with it. If I was spending the night alone, I may as well be drunk too.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
How long had it been since I returned home without specifically needing to due to a mission? Hell if I knew. Even then, I only stayed long enough to give a report. I wasn’t one to stick around for no reason.

I saw the lights of the Hidden Leaf coming shining a good twenty minutes before I reached the main gate and my heart was racing. “Get it together, Uchiha!” I snarled at myself, ashamed that I was feeling any kind of weakness in that moment.

It was cold and the wind cut through my coat like a knife. All I wanted to do was to see her. That’s all I needed. To be home. But I didn’t deserve it. Not after everything. But I couldn’t resist the magnetic pull that was drawing me in. I don’t think I could stop myself even if I wanted to.

I picked up my pace and made it into the village in no time. I should have stopped by the Hokage’s office to speak with Kakashi but Sakura came first. She had to come first.

I found myself nervously pacing through the dark streets of the Hidden Leaf. Even with snow falling and my hands going numb, I couldn’t shake the nerves. I desperately wanted to see her, but what if she had moved on? What if she hated me now? I had left her hanging yet again with a feeble promise of “next time.” Four years is an awfully long time to wait until next time and even Sakura had her limits.

I wasn’t good at any of this. At emotional vulnerability or talking about how I felt. It was overwhelming. I knew that I needed to do this. It was years overdue. Mere letters and a rekindled friendship was that best I had done since I was seventeen. I had to tell her. I had to tell her that I loved her.

I made circles around Sakura’s apartment complex for what seemed like hours. I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. “It shouldn’t be this damn hard.” I thought over and over again. It was Sakura for crying out loud. She was home. She was the one person I felt completely safe with and yet I couldn’t even bring myself to knock on her door. Finally, I took a deep breath and with ice cold determination, I made my way up to her apartment.

The hallway was dark and I could see the light shining from under her door. She was home. I was mostly relieved and partially about to lose my shit. My breathing was shallow but fuck it. I was doing this.

Knock. Knock. Knock.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
I nearly spat my wine out when I heard the knock at my door. I was two glasses in and my head was warm and fuzzy. Definitely not drunk but definitely paranoid of any unexpected noise I heard.

“Just a second!” I shouted as I set the glass on my coffee table and tightened my robe as I stood from my couch. “Somebody’s going to get the shit beat of them for interrupting my me time.” I thought as I begrudgingly went to answer the door.

I swung the door open in annoyance and raised my voice “You better have a good explanation for thi-“ then my words were gone. Sasuke. Oh my god. Sasuke. My heart felt like it was going to burst right out of my chest.

“Sakura.” His voice was like velvet, rich and smooth. His dark eyes met mine and for a moment he looked nervous. I blinked, half expecting him to vanish, but there he was, standing right in front of me.

“Sasuke.” I could barely raise my voice over a whisper. Without a second thought I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck. Stumbling back a bit, he caught me in an embrace and steadied himself as his arms wrapped around my waist.

He was taller now, a good seven or eight inches taller than me which made the hug feel a bit awkward but I didn’t care. He was here. He was here. He was here.

We stood there in each other’s arms just soaking in the moment for a minute and then I pulled away slowly. “Can I come in?” Sasuke asked softly.

“Of course! Come in!”

I stepped inside, Sasuke following suit, and shut the door behind us. “Let me take your coat.” I offered, being the hospitable hostess that I am. Sasuke shrugged off his winter coat and handed it to me in silence. I quickly hung it on the coatrack next to the door, not really knowing what to do next.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, looking up at him.

Sasuke ran his hands through his dark hair. “I just needed to see you.” His voice was gentle and shaky, not the short straight to the point Sasuke that I was accustomed to.

“Oh.” We were still standing in my walkway. “Do you want to sit down? I was just having a glass of wine.”

“Sure. Yeah that’s fine.”

Sasuke made his way to my couch while I grabbed another glass from the cabinet. This was so unexpected and I didn’t usually feel nervous around him but right now my mind was racing.

I had always imagined our reunion to be some grand romantic experience, but here he was, at my apartment on a random December night and I’m in a bathrobe. My heart was still pounding a mile a minute when I saw Sasuke sitting on my couch nervously twiddling his thumbs.

“You need a drink.” I chuckled as I sat down beside him and poured him a glass of wine. He accepted graciously with a faint smile. I could tell he had something on his chest that was eating at him but I couldn’t tell if it was a good or a bad thing. I was so confused.

He took a sip of wine and a deep breath then looked into my eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t come back sooner.” Ah. “I’m still trying to atone for everything and I don’t know how to be home anymore.” His voice quaked with emotion.

“Sasuke Uchiha, you listen to me.” I grabbed his hand comfortingly. “You do not need to apologize for healing.” Don’t get me wrong, it had hurt like hell for the last four years without him, but he had needed to go and find himself.

His thumb lightly traced circles on the top of my hand, his eyes never moving from mine. “I left you.” Then he dropped his gaze. He was ashamed. It was written all over his face. I hated seeing him like this. He was the light of my life.

My hand touched his cheek and gently brought his gaze back to mine. “But you never lost me.” I brushed his hair from his eyes affectionately. “Not once.” He sighed quietly, leaning back into the couch.

We sat in silence for a bit. Quietly sipping wine as his thumb still caressed my hand softly. It was peaceful, just being in each other’s presence. But he was still battling something inside him and it was agonizing him.

Finally, I turned to face him directly, taking both of his hands in mine. “Sasuke, talk to me.” My voice was firm and filled with authority. He took a sharp breath and went for it.

“I love you!” He blurted out.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I love you!” the words erupted from me. I was filled with both relief and terror. Holy shit. I said it. There’s no going back now.

Sakura eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Fuck. Oh god I screwed up. I said it too soon.

“What?” Her voice was shaky and uncertain as she let go of my hands to tuck her hair behind her ears. I gulped back the fear and reiterated myself.

“I said that I love you.”

Sakura threw her arms around me again and nuzzled into my neck. “I’ve waited so long for you to say that.” She whispered breathlessly. “I love you too.”

For the first time in a very long time, I felt a real smile reach my lips. “After all this time?” I asked softly.

“Always.”

I guess next time started today.


End file.
